Misguided Gift
by ImaginationFlow
Summary: What if you found out everything you knew was wrong? Jack thought everything was real, but a mysterious and haunting truth lies behind the scenes. Mineral Town holds a huge secret that not even the villagers could have predicted.
1. My Cherished Gift

**A/N: This chapter was revised on 28/08/2012**

**For a while, I forgot about this story, but I've decided it's time I carry it on. It's one of the vew stories on this account that I feel passionate about (I also love _Cast Out_, but oh well!) Anyway, hopefully, if everything goes to plan, I'll be continuing this, so looking forward to it!**

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**Chapter 1 – "My Cherished Gift"**

The sky was alight with brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. Jack's grip on the steering wheel weakened as his attention was drawn to the beautiful countryside soaring past. He was mesmerised by the strikingly tall trees and the brightly coloured flowers; even the grass, lusciously green. This inexpressible beauty certainly made up for the hasty decisions made by Jack in the past few days.

Three days ago was when everything changed—for Jack, at least. It was an extremely weird day, and from what he could remember, he had spent the whole day feeling particularly excited. Perhaps that was why he made such a rash decision. After all, what sort of man dropped the fast-paced exhilaration of the city for a relaxed lifestyle on a remote island?

Not him, for sure! Jack _loved _his life in the city, which made it all the more confusing that he was leaving it. Why _was _he leaving it? He had a well-paid job in the city, working for a selfish, hard-nosed business corporation. In fact, he even had a decent-sized flat in the centre of the city! What more could a man like him ask for?

Jack blinked his eyes and returned his attention to the road. As they soaked up the gorgeous countryside, the answer came to his mouth ridiculously easy.

"My childhood."

His voice was drowned out by the whirr of the engine. In fact, everything was being drowned out by the engine, which pulverized its way through the bumpy road. The sound was actually rather distracting— hammering against its cage—and a number of times Jack had been tempted to stop that wretched noise once and for all. If truth be told, the sound was probably the reason why Jack hadn't seen her at first: the young lady with butterscotch locks pouring from beneath her raven cloak. She let out a cry of alarm as her eyes were engulfed by the flashing lights.

Jack stamped on the brake pedal, causing the car to skid to avoid the young lady.

His heavy pants filled the silence that ensued, his eyes wide with concern. Jack stayed there for a moment, gathering his composure, before sliding out of his car seat and onto the road. He rushed forward, never relinquishing his attention on the young lady sprawled across the floor.

He fell to his knees beside her. "Hey! Hey – are you alright?" Jack asked frantically, his face wrinkled with worry and panic. He shook her shoulders. "Can you hear me?"

"U–u–ugh..." The woman groaned softly. Her eyes cracked open reluctantly, revealing a strikingly purple pair of eyes.

Jack felt the relief drain into his blood stream. "Oh thank Goddess," he said with a gratifying smile stretching over his face. "I thought you were dead!"

The young lady met his eyes with an unwavering stare. "You didn't even hit me," she told him. Her voice was powerful and demanding, and Jack suddenly knew he wasn't dealing with a damsel in distress. "And don't mention that awful name in my presence."

Jack frowned. "Who's name?" He asked, confused.

"Never mind."

"Okay..." He said slowly, before shaking his head. "What were you doing on the road anyway?"

The woman sat up and crossed her arms. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

"No," Jack agreed with a sigh, "but you _were _on a road when it was clearly dangerous to cross."

She shot him a glare. "Well, I apologise, Mr Goody-Two-Shoes. I'll be _much _more careful in the future." The lady sneered exasperatedly.

"No reason to get so hostile," Jack informed her with a frown. "I'm just trying to help. You must know it's dangerous to cross the road at night!"

The young lady rolled her eyes. "It was quiet! I couldn't even _hear _your car!"

"Whatever," Jack sighed. "We'll just have to agree to disagree. Now, is there anything I can help you with?"

The woman scowled before pausing to think. "Yes, yes there is."

Jack waited patiently for her to carry on, but was only met with silence. He sighed. "Well? What is it?"

"I'm starving."

Jack furrowed his brow. "You want food?"

"Yes. That _is _what I said." She replied, rolling her eyes.

"But...don't you have your own food?"

The young lady looked at him incredulously. "Of course not! Why would I ask if I had my own?" She snapped exasperatedly.

Jack held his hands up in defence. "Jeez, calm it, woman. You could be a freeloader for all I know!"

"Do I look like a freaking freeloader to you?" She said with frustration, fixing him with a glare. "I just want some freaking food!"

"Fine! I'll get you your freaking food, Goddess—!"

The woman scowled and interrupted him midsentence. "What did I tell you about saying—" However, Jack decided not to stick around, and walked to the boot of his car instead.

Inside, Jack was greeted by a variety of different foods that he had packed for the journey. He offered the lady a pre-made peanut butter sandwich.

She blinked. "What _is _this?" The woman questioned, examining the sandwich.

"A sandwich," was Jack's prompt reply.

The young lady shot him a glare. "I know that, you idiot! I meant what's _inside _it!"

"Oh," Jack said with a grin. "Peanut butter."

She continued to stare at the sandwich for a while, seemingly weighing the pros and cons of eating it. However, it seemed her hunger triumphed all, because the lady began to shovel it inside her mouth as if it was the last morsel of food in the world.

Jack sincerely hoped not.

"Like it?" He asked dryly, when she finished the sandwich and began licking her fingers.

The woman scowled. "I was hungry, jeez! If you must know, I haven't eaten for days!"

"_For_ _days?_" Jack repeated in disbelief.

"Pretend I didn't say anything," she told him hastily. Suddenly, his mind became very foggy, as if someone was intruding in his memories. Before he could even consider trying to get them out, the feeling evaporated, and the young lady's unwavering stare came back into view.

"Say what?" Jack asked groggily.

The woman grinned. "Nothing," she sung complacently. "I just wanted to wish you a splendid journey to Mineral Town!"

"Huh?" Jack said, frowning, "I didn't tell you where I was heading."

She laughed amusedly. "Yes, you did! Silly boy, you've forgotten already?"

"Whatever," Jack sighed, feeling his protests dying on his tongue. He was simply too tired to argue with this lady. "You okay now? Need anything else?"

"Oh, you've done plenty enough," the woman assured him with a secretive smirk.

"Good, then I'll be off," Jack said, heading to his car. This young lady was draining all of his energy, and he really didn't want to fall asleep whilst he was driving.

The woman grinned. "I'll see you!"

His car door slammed into place and Jack twisted his key in the ignition. Before long, he was back on the road, remembering his conversation to the young lady. She was certainly something else, with her impertinent character, her authoritative stance and her piercing stare. Normally, these characteristics would simply embody a confident city-dweller, but there was something..._different_, that made her stand out.

The sound of a striking voice singing a poem distracted his thoughts on what exactly made her 'stand out.' It was perfectly clear and rung of indisputable truth.

_For your troubles, I grant you this:_

_Someone whom you deeply miss._

_Mend love lost and left adrift,_

_With the help of my cherished gift._

Jack frowned. What on Earth did _that _mean?


	2. Muddle of Memories

**Misguided Gift**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Harvest Moon. Except a few games. But I didn't make them, okay?

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_Chapter 2: __Muddle of Memories_

Jack was feeling a little put out after being forced to leave his shiny red car by the coast. Admittedly, he knew he would have to get rid of it eventually, since he highly doubted that many of the villagers in Mineral Town had ever since such technology. (Of course, he wasn't implying they were _stupid_...). He sighed loudly, his forearms rested on the metal safety bars whilst his eyes searched the coast from the boat. He could see the red blob that he used to call his car, now belonging to some stranger. He'd tried his best to sell it to a random person, of course not receiving as much money as he'd hoped for...

He forced his attention somewhere else, instead settling his eyes on the horizon, where the sun, a calming colour of orange, was setting over the beautiful blue ocean. Subconsciously, Jack smiled, this particular scenery something he hadn't seen for a long time.

**

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**_Dressed in blue overalls and a tatty baseball hat, Jack marched down the road with obvious pride. A pretty straw basket hung from his arm, swinging back and forth in rhythm with his steps. His childish smile wormed its way on his face; there was nothing that could get him down, not when he was on a special errand for his grandfather. He began his ascent up the hill, until he reached an open field full of vineyards growing grapes._

_When he squinted his wide, brown eyes he saw a small purple blur in the distance, one of the Vineyard's workers called Kai. He waved enthusiastically with one hand, whilst shaking the basket in the other, trying to catch the boy's attention._

_The little boy approached him with a lopsided grin. "S'up bro? What you doin' here?" He greeted him with a hand outstretched, and the two bumped shoulders and grinned boyishly at each other._

"_Delivering important stuff," Jack replied, glowing with pride, and his grin now covering half of his face._

"_Awesome!" Kai exclaimed, "Your gramps finally let you help out!" He said, with as much enthusiasm as Jack himself. Jack had long overlooked Kai's tendency to get as worked-up about other people's fortunes as his own. He put it down to his nature._

"_Yeah, I know," Jack agreed excitedly, "I'm going to prove that I'm mature enough for farm work!"_

_Kai nodded and grinned. "Good luck bro," He told him, patting him on the shoulder. His dark eyes looked up at the sky, and he scrunched his brow. "Whoa dude, look! The sun's settin'!" Kai cried out, sharply jabbing a finger at it._

_Jack glanced up, his jaw dropped promptly open. "Wow, you're right! _Man, _that's pretty!" He almost felt inclined to say it was beautiful, but he decided it just wasn't cool for a boy to use that word._

_The two boys watched the sunset in wonder, never realising the world had such beauty._

**

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**Jack furrowed his brow. Where the hell had that come from? He never had flashbacks like that, and neither did he like to. He pushed the thought right from his mind, he _detested_ remembering his childhood.

He watched the sunset vaguely, his mind slipping half into sub-consciousness, but enough for him to remain standing.

Hours went past, and Jack had yet to notice. Only once a green sliver of an island appeared on the horizon did his sleepy eyes try to focus again. As the boat approached it, he saw that a beach stretched along the whole of one side, and decided that it would provide a great place for tanning. (No, he wasn't a girl, but a nice tan always looked good).

It took another half hour for the boat to be close enough to dock by the pier, which was looking rather shabby and unstable. The captain of the boat revealed himself to Jack, though only his back, as he announced to all his passengers about their arrival. Jack scratched his head and glanced around, noting that he was the only one on board. He watched the man's back, observing that the guy was unnaturally tall, and had spiky black hair.

For some reason, a small sign of acknowledgment sparked in his mind, and he couldn't figure out why. Jack felt like he knewthis man from somewhere, but when he stared at him he couldn't work out from _where._

"You're getting off right?" The captain asked from the opposite side of the boat, his voice gruff, yet for some reason not intimidating.

Jack nodded curtly, grabbing hold of his suitcase and clambering off the boat. He managed to drag it to the beach before he bumped into something small but very solid.

He looked up, and came face-to-face with a peculiar-looking man, with brown puffs of hair either side of his head, and a tiny pair of spectacles on his nose right above his groomed moustache. He was dressed in a bright-red costume, a combination of a suit and top hat.

Jack knew this man. There was no way this could be anyone else...

"Mayor Thomas?"

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**End of Chapter Note:  
**Well, what do you think? Isn't it weird how that ended? I do love suspense. I suck at everything else, mind you. Oh wait, I suck at suspense too. Well, enjoy it anyway, I tried my best.


	3. Confronting the Past

**Misguided Gift**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Harvest Moon. Except a few games. But I didn't make them, okay?

**I have made a very huge mistake! I posted the wrong chapter for C2, so if you've already read it, could you skip back a chapter? It's really embarrassing because that was a chapter for another story of mine. Heh. I guess I have to spoil it though and say there will be Claire later...**

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_Chapter 3: __Confronting the Past_

"Mayor Thomas?"

The man nodded, his mouth spreading in a bright grin. "Why yes, that's correct, I would like to welcome—" He stopped in mid-sentence, his small brown eyes widening in shock. "How do you know my name?"

Jack shrugged, seemingly as shocked as the Mayor was. In all honesty, he had absolutely no idea how he knew the guy's name. He just knew he'd seen him before. "I... I have no idea." He answered honestly.

"Hmm..." The Mayor mumbled, staring at him cautiously, "Anyway, I would like to welcome you to Mineral Town, _Jack._"

He lifted a brow. Was he meant to be impressed that this man knew his name? He was pretty sure he could've got it from MT Realtor, the people who put the advert in the paper in the first place.

Actually... The Mayor's name was in the pamphlet they sent him when he asked for more information. In fact, there might've been a picture as well... That must be why he knew, Jack decided, there couldn't be any other reasonable explanation, and yet deep down he knew it wasn't. He pushed the feeling away anyway.

"Your farm is located on the far left of the town, but we're currently on the very right. It's quite a walk if I may so," Thomas informed him, one of his pudgy hands pointing directly behind him. "Of course, you may leave your luggage with Zack here while I introduce you to a few important people."

Jack scanned the area, realising the only person on the beach was in fact the captain, which he now knew was called Zack. He narrowed his eyes. He had certainly heard of that name before...

"Right this way if you will," Thomas asked him, waving his hand toward the town. They promptly set off. "We'll be visiting the Inn first."

"The Inn?" Jack repeated.

The Mayor nodded, "Yes, well, Doug's Inn... He's the owner you see, he runs the Inn with his daughter, Ann."

Jack stopped on the spot. That was a name he knew. He could never forget it, not with Ann being his closest friend when he was a child. Of course, Ann was a very common name... but how many people had a father called Doug?

"What's the matter Jack?" Thomas asked with a hint of impatience, "We are almost there."

He shook his head out of his thoughts and carried on, it couldn't be Ann. She and Doug were both farmers, and neither of them would ever leave their own home...

They reached the building in just a few minutes, Thomas pushing open the doors and lifting his chin promptly to act as the proud Mayor. Once inside, Jack noted the place was very spacious, with only a couple of tables in a gigantic room. Of course, it could be because of the lack of customers that it looked so big.

Thomas cleared his throat loudly, gathering the attention of the two occupants of the room and Jack. "Hello, how are you?" The Mayor greeted coolly, but not waiting for the answer, "I've brought someone for you to meet—remember I told you the advert would bring somebody in?"

A red-haired man was listening from behind a counter, with a moustache similar to the Mayor's own, and with a grim line as a mouth. In all, Jack thought he looked very much like a grumpy hairball, a grumpy hairball he knew very well...

"Doug?" Jack exclaimed, without even thinking.

A big eyebrow lifted, as the man stared at him peculiarly. "How did you know my name?" He asked in a rough voice.

Thomas lifted a finger, "I told him, Doug, before we got here." He explained.

Jack's jaw was however continuously dropped, believing that his eyes must be fooling him. "Y-you're a farmer," Jack stammered out, pointing at him accusingly, "Y-you're meant to be farming..."

Doug looked down at him as if he was mentally unstable. "Me? A farmer? I've never heard of that one before," He stated, looking at Thomas as if Jack was meant to be saying this.

It turned out though, that he too was staring at him worriedly. "Me neither," Thomas agreed slowly.

However, at this point Jack was long gone, and instead in deep thought. What was Doug talking about? He was a farmer; he had to be the one that used to own that farm. He knew, because Ann would always talk about him, and besides, it wasn't possible for him to have the same name _and _look exactly identical. A question popped up in his mind, and Jack quickly focused back on reality.

"Erm, excuse me, Doug. You _do _remember me right?" Jack asked quietly, scratching at the back of his head.

"What're you talking about? I've never met you!"

Jack scrunched his brow. "But, you're Ann's father right? Don't you remember me? I was her best friend when we were kids!" He exclaimed, all of this really confusing him. Where was Ann anyway?

"S'cuse me, but I couldn't help hearing something you said," said somebody behind him, and he swung round, "I think I misheard you, but did you say youwere_ my best friend_?"

Jack was face-to-face with a red-haired girl, her hair tied in a familiar-looking plait that ended with a white bow that he knew belonged to her mother. She was dressed in a pair of scruffy overalls, something he knew for a fact she was most comfortable in. It was Ann, his childhood friend.

"I... _What?_" Jack cried out, the words settling down. "Y-you don't remember me either?"

Ann lifted a brow. "Erm, I've never seen you in my whole life." She informed him.

Jack stared at her ludicrously. "You're kidding right? How could you _forget _me, Ann? It's only been ten years! Unless you have terrible memory problems... you don't, do you?"

The red-haired girl sighed, "Look, whoever you are, I might've met you, I don't know, but you certainly can't have been my best friend. Popuri's always been my best friend."

"_What? Popuri's here too?_" Jack cried out, looking maniac as he scanned the room. "Does she work here too?"

Ann scrunched her brow. "How do you know Po?"

"We lived in the same village remember?"

She stared at him peculiarly. "You used to live here?" Ann questioned, slightly confused. Jack himself was getting rather puzzled and a little frantic too. How could the closest friend he ever had not remember him?

"No! Don't you remember Flowerbud Village?" There was something seriously wrong; the Ann he knew would never forget the village in which she grew up in.

"Where's that?"

Jack stared at her blankly. "Where you were born!"

The red-haired man, Doug, stood forward, watching Jack with a weird look on his face. "Sorry, but my daughter was born in this town here. She's never been to any place else, including this... Flower-place." He told him firmly, and grabbing hold of Ann's shoulder.

Jack sighed. Clearly they had forgotten all about their childhood, though he couldn't understand for the life of him why. But what Doug had said was very peculiar, for how could he forget he had once been a farmer, and how could he forget his own daughter's birthplace! However, he shook his head with defeat.

"...I'll go now. It was nice to meet you, Ann, Doug." He mumbled dejectedly.

Doug nodded curtly. "Yes, it was... nice meeting you."

Ann still looked a bit perplexed as she watched the young man, just about saying something before Jack and the Mayor left the building. "Erm, come and visit the Inn... sometime... Dad's a great cook!"

Jack managed a chuckle, the image of Doug the farmer cooking making him laugh, but it quickly became sardonic as the words from just a few seconds ago floated through his mind.

"Well, I'll take Jack here to the farm," Thomas said, though it didn't interest the two Inn Keepers, as they carried on with their business.

The bitter cold hit Jack immediately after the door was opened, it was already late, and the stars were twinkling dimly in the sky. The Mayor coughed loudly.

"So, Jack," He began after catching Jack's attention, "What exactly was that about?" He asked with curiosity. Jack was pretty sure that telling the Mayor wasn't the best idea, but he had no other choice.

Jack sighed. "I've met them before, that's all."

Thomas lifted his eyebrow at the young man. "Jack, did you not hear them clearly? They told you they've never seen you before."

He shook his head glumly. "I heard that, Mayor, but I _do _know them. I don't understand what's happened..."

The Mayor didn't really seem like the answer satisfied him, but he kept his silence, instead leading him to his farm.

He could tell from the moment he set eyes on its big fields and decrepit house that this farm was in no way good condition. Which was strange, seeing as it looked beautiful and full of life in the advert. He turned to look accusingly at the Mayor.

Thomas chuckled nervously under Jack's harsh stare, scratching the back of his neck. "I...I guess I have a little explaining to do..." He mumbled.

Jack nodded, and waited silently.

"A few years ago, this farm was in great condition, the farmer was brilliant at his job, and the place was thriving, but he was growing an old man, and we all knew it would happen one day." He paused, looking at Jack grimly. "He died."

"So we found another farmer as soon as possible, another elderly man, though he brought along his son, a man called Joe. Sadly, they let the farm turn to what it is today, but we can't chuck them out because the farm's rightfully theirs. They paid for it after all." His eyes swept over the farm and grimaced.

Jack lifted a brow. "You said you can't chuck them out... Does that mean they're still there?"

The Mayor's eyes darted around, desperate not to look at the man's face. "W-well... yes... but they _do_ require a farm-hand..."

Jack's glare increased in intensity. "Are you kidding me? I paid for this farm, Thomas! I didn't pay to have some house-mates!"

The Mayor shifted gingerly on the spot, "Yes, yes, you're right, the money will be refunded immediately, after I find the money... it was spent on a brand-new toaster, sadly," He was half-muttering to himself, though Jack could hear him very clearly.

"What am I supposed to _Mayor_, while you're finding the money to repay me?"

Thomas bit his lip. "W-well... you could always work on the farm for a bit... The farmers are... nice people..."

Jack deflated his shoulders, and sighed with frustration. "Fine, fine. I don't have much else to do in this place."

"That's brilliant news!" Thomas clapped enthusiastically, looking gleefully all of a sudden, "You can stay at the Inn for the night, for I doubt it's very sensible to disturb them this late in the night!"

Jack stared at him confused, "Why not? You said they were nice people."

"Yes, yes, but everybody's grumpy at night, you included, I see." The Mayor told him hurriedly, grabbing his shirt sleeve and dragging him back the way they came.

Jack glanced back, and thinking dully in his mind: my new home.

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**End of Chapter Note  
**Oh my god; you aren't going to _believe _what's going to happen next chapter! *Squeal* Anyway, I thought this chapter was a bit choppy for my liking, it's all chatting! Sigh...


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